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Global tablet shipments return to growth in 2020: IDC

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The worldwide tablet market had an outstanding fourth quarter (4Q20) with 19.5% year-over-year growth and shipments totaling 52.2 million units, according to IDC data. Impacted by the pandemic, the tablet market reached shipment levels not seen since the fourth quarter of 2017 when the total was 49.9 million.

Detachable tablets have broadened their presence in the market as the emphasis on productivity, flexibility, and ease of use is now greater than ever before and sales for this category were often in direct competition with notebooks. Shipments for detachable tablets grew 27.9% during the quarter as both Microsoft and Apple helped push the form factor with their respective products. Additionally, backlogs for PCs led some consumers to purchase these detachable tablets in place of notebooks. Meanwhile, slate tablets also grew 13.7% during the quarter as consumers sought ways to stay entertained.

“Unprecedented demand in the consumer and education segments due to work from home and online learning has undoubtedly led to the resurgence in tablet demand,” said Anuroopa Nataraj, research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. “However, the category is not expected to retain this momentum in the long term as it still faces immense competition from notebooks and smartphones.”

Tablet Company Highlights

Apple once again led the tablet market with 36.5% market share and year-over-year growth of 19.5% during 4Q20. The new iPad 10.2-inch and iPad Air 10.9-inch tablets launched in the last two quarters helped drive sales during the holiday quarter. With the pandemic restrictions still in effect and remote learning still the primary mode of teaching, there were several big deployments of iPads in the education segment.

Samsung retained second place with 19.4% share and exceptional year-over-year growth of 44.9%. The company shipped 10.1 million units in the quarter and 31.3 million units for 2020. It is still the largest provider of Android slate tablets with successful products such as the Galaxy Tab A and Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. Meanwhile, the vendor’s earnest efforts at making Android more productive and usable in a detachable form factor have helped the brand maintain a premium over other Android competitors.

Lenovo captured the third spot with global shipments of 5.6 million units and 120.6% year-over-year growth in 4Q20. Slates accounted for the majority of Lenovo’s tablet sales; however, their detachable portfolio has shown some momentum with the recently-launched Chromebook Duet producing a gain of nearly 2.5 percentage points for detachable tablets. Western Europe and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) remain the largest markets for Lenovo’s tablet business.

Amazon.com held the fourth position in 4Q20 with 7.6% year-over-year growth and shipments totaling 3.6 million. The United States remains the biggest market for Amazon tablets, followed by Western Europe. With budget-friendly tablets, Amazon has created a sweet spot for itself and the Fire Kids edition tablets have gained in popularity, especially during the pandemic as parents searched for ways to keep their kids indoors and entertained.

Huawei rounded out the top 5 with 3.3 million units in 4Q20 for a year-over-year decline of 25.7%. U.S. sanctions continued to derail the company’s plans for success. However, the company’s strong presence in China remains a bright spot for the brand.

Bluei launches 10,000mAh ‘Thunder’ power bank with 18W quick charging speed

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Domestic mobile accessories brand Bluei has announced a new power bank called Thunder that comes with 10,000mAh polymer battery. The Bluei Thunder has dual input ports- Type C and micro USB and has two USB output ports. This gives the power bank the flexibility to work with a wide range of devices like Androids, tablets, cameras, headphones and Type C-enabled gadgets.

The power bank claims to offer a conversion rate of up to 90%, which makes it a great power source for your gadgets. A 5,000mAh phone can be charged around 2-3 times in a single row at its full capacity.

This power bank automatically adjusts its output according to the connected devices. It has more than 300 charge/discharge cycles so that you effortlessly stay connected to your contacts and the world of entertainment for a longer period of time.

The Bluei Thunder power bank is compact in size and light in weight. Its outer body is made of strong ABS plastic material and it is wrapped in a smooth finish to create a scratch-resistant profile.

For safe operation, Bluei Thunder is equipped with Intelligent Integrated Circuit which has over 7 layers of protection to safeguard from hazards like short circuits, overcharging, overvoltage protection and many more.

Priced at Rs 1,850, the product comes in Black colour and is available at Bluei’s online store.

Akhilesh Chopra, Sales Director, Bluei, said, “It is a high-quality and long-lasting power bank with high reliability and a failure rate less than 1%. Bluei power banks provide the output that is promised in specs where most other power banks available in the market don’t provide what they promise and their performance also drops rapidly with time. If at all a customer has any genuine issue with the power bank, we replace it with a new one.”

“As smartphone users are increasingly playing games, watching videos and surfing the internet even while travelling, sufficient power supply has become a demanding factor making power banks indispensable and handy storage devices,” he added.

Infinix coming up with much-awaited Smart 5 on Feb. 11

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Transsion Group-owned smartphone brand Infinix is all set to extend its Smart series with the launch a new device on February 11, exclusively on Flipkart. The upcoming power-packed smartphone, dubbed Infinix Smart 5, will be priced under-8K.

The phone, with a big screen, will hit the market in four colour variants: Morandi Green, 6 degree Purple, Aegean Blue and Obsidian Black.

The Infinix Smart 5 will be the most affordable device with 6,000mAh battery capacity. The all-new Smart 5 comes with a few category-first features like Slow Motion video recording that allows users to capture and edit super slow motion videos through its advanced camera interface.

For detailed specifications of the device, consumers can follow the Flipkart Intrigue store page 7th February onwards. So gear up for a superior and unforgettable smartphone experience!

Amazon announces ‘Advantage No Cost EMI’ for Prime members

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Amazon today announced a new ‘Advantage No Cost EMI’ for its Prime members. Under this program, Prime members can enjoy the lowest interest-free installments with a minimum three-month enhanced tenure for smartphone purchases on Amazon.

Prime members can upgrade to their favorite smartphone and enjoy 50% lower monthly installments using HDFC Bank Credit and Debit Card EMI. All other customers can take advantage of this offer by joining Amazon Prime for Rs 129/month or Rs 999/year.

Currently, Advantage No Cost EMI is available on popular smartphones by Apple, Samsung, and OPPO. Offers include iPhone 12 mini now starting Rs 7,433 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI, Samsung Galaxy M21 now starting Rs 1,555 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI, Samsung Galaxy M31s now starting Rs 2,167 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI, Samsung Galaxy M51 now starting Rs 2,555 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI.

OPPO A15 now starting Rs 1,110 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI, OPPO A1K now starting Rs 1,332 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI, OPPO F17 now starting Rs 1,416 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI, OPPO F17 Pro now starting Rs 1,916 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI, and OPPO Find X2 now starting Rs 3,611 per month with Advantage No Cost EMI.

iGear Symphony, a battery-free wireless bell with polyphonic tunes launched in India

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Domestic gadgets and smartphone accessories brand iGear has come up with a revolutionary new wireless bell that works on the principle of kinetic energy and you will never need batteries for life. It has a large operational range and features multiple polyphonic tunes, according to iGear.

The highlight of the Symphony is its wireless battery-free switch that works without any power – no battery needed, no adapters required. It generates its own electricity using kinetic energy when someone presses the switch. And using the little energy generated from the press, it triggers the indoor bell unit to produce a piece of loud and melodious music.

Since it is an enclosed unit, it can also be used indoors as a portable audio/alarm trigger and placed anywhere in the room, on the desk or in the pocket. It operates within a range of 100 metres in plain sight or up to 45 metres when used in closed areas.

The internal unit of the iGear Symphony is a simple wireless receiver with 38 polyphonic melodies built right into it. Users can select between 38 tunes depending on the mood, occasion or installation area. It needs to be powered using a standard 230V (2-pin) power socket and kept powered-on whenever it needs to be operational. Additionally, volume control on the indoor unit also helps users to adjust the ring/melody volume according to their requirements.

The iGear Symphony is perfect for large homes, new homes, large rooms, offices, clinics, hospitals, or make-shift offices, clinics, mobile businesses and many more. It also makes for a perfect gifting accessory.

Kamlesh Sharma, Founder, iGear, said, “The iGear Symphony is a revolutionary home and office accessory that helps reduce the strain on the environment while keeping your rooms wire-free. With a complete battery-free operation and using kinetic energy as its power source, the wireless switch is weather-proof (water and dust resistant) and works efficiently up to a distance of 100 meters. Being wireless, you can avoid unwanted wires to the bell, best suited for large rooms, new homes and make-shift offices or clinics as a doorbell. It is a perfect melodious alerting accessory for your home or office, and also makes for a great gifting item.”

The all new product is available for a price of Rs 1,499, with a standard industry warranty of 1 year on Amazon.in and Flipkart.com.

Lumiford brings in Max T55 TWS earphones for Rs 3,599

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Consumer electronics brand Lumiford, which is mostly specialized in the entertainment space, has added yet another product to its famed Maximus series in the form of Max T55 true wireless earphones.

Powered with advanced wireless technology, reinforced by Hi-Fi bass drivers and 20Hz~20KHz speaker frequency response, these earphones are ideal for enjoying your music and important phone calls free of any disturbance.

The advanced wireless Bluetooth V5.0 technology offers a seamless transmission range of 10m. With 6 mm dynamic driver, you get louder, tighter bass without using too much power.

The TWS earphones are powered by rechargeable li-polymer 30mAh batteries that offer 3 hours of non-stop music as well as talk time in a single charge. The charging case in-built with 400mAh li-polymer battery offers 15 hours of playtime in a single charge with the earphones requiring only 1.2 hours of charging time.

Other features include smart touch control for easy access and operation, binaural call function for enhanced call experience, and sleek magnetic design which helps convert audio signals into great sound. The ergonomic design enables you to easily put these earphones in and out of your ear with ease.

Abhijit Bhattacharjee, CEO, Lumiford, said, “We are delighted to present this top-of-the-line advanced wireless earphones that have the perfect balance between advanced technology and superior looks. The Max T55 with Hi-Fi Bass Drivers, fast charging, cool black colour and portable charging case makes it a great offering for any age the group as its universal capabilities can accommodate a diverse range of music.”

“We are looking forward to the response on our new offerings and excited to introduce more such technologically-advanced offerings in the near future,” he added.

The Lumiford Max T55 series is priced at Rs 3,599.

ViewSonic launches its first LED Projector LS600WE for corporate and education sector

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ViewSonic Corp, a global provider of visual solutions, has launched its Lamp Free LED Projector LS600WE. Ensuring bright and detailed image along with eco-friendly LED technology, this innovative and next generation projector is perfectly equipped for both corporate and education sectors.

Today, when the technology has refurbished every industry, the audio-visual industry is enhancing their products by giving their best offerings. ViewSonic’s LED LS600WE is an eco-friendly projector which is less hazardous and is equipped with 3800 ANSI Lumens brightness.

Muneer Ahmad, Business Head – AV, ViewSonic India said, “We focus to develop innovative and quality products which can generate effectiveness and usefulness to our end users. Now, we are only focussing on the LED projectors and are looking to develop highly advanced and robust featured products. The newly launched LS600WE projector is ViewSonic’s first LED based projector developed focussing both corporate and education sector. This eco-friendly product comes with 3 years warranty and ensures the cost of ownership to remain low. Also an ad on feature is that it is a lamp free and mercury free projector.”

The projector is ergonomically designed and easy to set-up. The 3,800 ANSI Lumens gives bright and detailed images in any environment. To get rid of toxic mercury and frequent lamp replacements, the projector is equipped with 2nd generation LED technology offering a 30,000 hours long lifespan with consistent brightness over time. Enhancing the viewing experience, the newly launched product is equipped with Horizontal and Vertical Keystone correction along with 4 corner adjustment features giving perfectly proportioned picture every time. Adding to this, it also produces jaw-dropping, cinematic color similar to a movie theatre with Cinema SuperColor+ Technology which meets 125% Rec.709 color standard.

One of the unique features of the projector is its 360° Creative Applications which allows the projector to freely rotate at any angle vertically, allowing projection onto ceilings, walls, or angled signage. The projector is embedded with a 10W speaker to deliver satisfying audio performance right out of the box. Its comprehensive LAN control eases multiple device management and is compatible with Crestron, AMX, Extron, PJ Link, ATEN, and ViewSonic’s vController.

Its instant Power On/Off feature is for an efficient power usage. The projector is also equipped with a 1.2x optical zoom lens and Sealed Optical Engine with IP5X. The product has a sufficient connectivity such as a built-in USB power output and provides dual HDMI ports.

Available with 3 years warranty, this power packed product is priced at RS 1,49,000.

Canon unveils new PIXMA G series Ink tank printers

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Canon India, today expanded its iconic PIXMA G Series lineup with the launch of seven new Ink Tank Printers – PIXMA G3060, PIXMA G3021, PIXMA G3020, PIXMA G2060, PIXMA G2021, PIXMA G2020, and PIXMA G1020.

Built to stand out with high ink volumes and low-cost printing, the new PIXMA G Series printers include a drip-free, hands-free ink refilling mechanism, and a user-replaceable maintenance cartridge designed to ensure minimum downtime and maximum productivity for homes and businesses.

Equipped to cater to the evolving consumer demands and businesses for cost-efficient and reliable ink tank technology, the new models are specifically designed to deliver a better printing speed as well as Spill-Free and Easy Handle Ink Filling. Additionally, the printers feature an ‘economy’ model that helps consumers print up to 7700 color pages or 7600 black pages on economy mode. The printers also come with an On System guide to clean the Paper Feed Rollers that helps to reduce the service calls and increase better customer experience.

Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India said, “The pandemic has transformed the way we have operated, by bringing in a significant shift in the usage pattern of technology and devices.  With the entire world grappling to adapt to a hybrid working environment, we have witnessed a sudden rise in the demand for multi-functional ink-tank printers. This has further led to the Consumer System Products division becoming one of the highest contributing businesses for us in India. As we continue to address the evolving needs of our customers, we are delighted to further strengthen our ink-tank product portfolio with the launch of 7 versatile PIXMA G series printers that are specially built to boost productivity for home and small businesses.”

C Sukumaran, Director, Consumer System Products & Imaging Communication Products said, “The pandemic has laid the foundation for an entirely new normal, making work from home and study from home an imperative across households and SMBs. With the entire nation struggling to adapt to this new normal, the need to have an infrastructure to support this hybrid working environment has propelled the demand for printers for usage at home as well home-office setups. As pioneers in the printing industry, we consider it our responsibility to bring forth products that address the evolving requirements of our customers and make them adept in today’s connected world. Our expansion of the PIXMA G-series portfolio is a testament to our commitment to empowering our customers with the most innovative, cost-effective, and productive solutions. With the additional user-friendly features and revamped design, the new printers are an amalgamation of next level modern technology and cost-efficiency that will adequately serve the end customers.”

Right out of the box, the new Canon G series includes enough ink to last years for most users, delivering up 7700 color pages or 7600 black pages on economy mode. This presents an easy choice for users who need to print more without hesitation and has the potential to transform traditional printing habits completely.

The printers are suitable for general use or photo printing, with the dedicated use of pigment black ink for crisp and sharp text in text documents and line drawings, and automatic switching to only dye-ink color channels when there is a need to produce full-borderless glossy photos up to A4 sizes.

To avoid unintended filling of colored inks into the wrong tank openings, the new Canon G series features new ink bottle designs, with outlet nozzles that fit only in the respective color tank well openings. Ink filling is fast, drip-free, and hands-free, allowing users to complete the entire unboxing and setup process in just minutes while maintaining a mess-free workstation.

An integrated ink tank design also keeps the printer footprint compact, while providing a clear visual indication of remaining ink levels.

The user-replaceable maintenance cartridge design of the new Canon G series will also save users numerous trips to authorized service facilities. Replacement of the maintenance cartridge and the subsequent automatic reset of the internal ink counter removes prolongs the printer lifetime well beyond conventional printers and ensures users can continue to print as intended with minimal downtime.

These multi-function printers with print, copy, and scan functionalities, are designed to boost productivity for home and small office environments. The printers support wireless mobile printing and scanning, using smartphones or tablets on a local network or the cloud. A 2-line LCD panel makes it easy to perform and confirm printer settings. Businesses with substantial daily printing requirements can benefit from a higher document print speed of up to 10.8 ipm mono and 6.0 ipm color for the PIXMA G3060. PIXMA G 3021 comes with an additional black ink bottle inside the box.

The PIXMA G2020 features a 2-line LCD panel similar to that on G3060 and G3020 for easy operation, including ease of management for printer settings. PIXMA G 2021 comes with an additional black ink bottle inside the box. The PIXMA G1020 is the most affordable print-only option within the new G series lineup for students and home users.

Users can also print and scan1 from iOS and Android mobile devices (smartphone, tablets, and laptops) through the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app that offers fine-tuned control of all printer settings and parameters. For even easier direct printing from mobile devices, iOS uses can use AirPrint, while Android users can rely on the Canon Print Service plugin, available on the Play store. The new Canon G series is also compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which enables voice-activated printing.

The Easy-PhotoPrint Editor app for iOS, Android OS, Windows, and Mac OS platforms is the perfect go-to app for all ID photo requirements, custom photo layouts, calendars, and postcard printing needs.

The range of the printers starts from Rs 11,048 and goes till Rs 17,704.

POCO launches its globally acclaimed POCO M3 in India

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POCO today announced the launch of its latest smartphone – POCO M3. With this, the brand will be taking forward the legacy of the M series by offering the best performer in its segment.

POCO M3 boasts 6GB RAM, a 48MP triple camera setup, 6000mAh battery, FullHD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset, and is priced starting Rs 10,999 with additional Rs 1,000 off for ICICI Bank users.

Anuj Sharma, Country Director, POCO India said, “In its first year, POCO has created many milestones and connected with the more connected, smarter audience. Within 10 months of becoming independent, we became the 3rd largest online smartphone player in India. This is a testimony of the consumers’ overwhelming endorsement of our brand’s philosophy – ‘everything you need, nothing you don’t’. The launch of POCO M3 is our effort to elevate the brand further, offering enthusiasts cutting-edge technology coupled with best-in-class looks.”

POCO M3 looks and feels exceptional when compared to anything else in the segment. With an all-new striking design, POCO M3 comes in three colours – Cool Blue, Power Black and POCO Yellow.

Built with multimedia and binge watching in mind, POCO M3 comes with a 16.58cm (6.53) FullHD+ display with 19.5:9 tall body aspect ratio and a best-in-class 2340 x 1080p resolution. To offer protection against accidental drops, it comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front and anti-fingerprint textured back to provide a secure and sturdy grip. For those concerned about drops, POCO M3 also includes a case and screen protector (pre-applied) in the box.

With TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification, users can enjoy long hours of content or reading without straining their eyes. Taking the multimedia story further, POCO M3 features a 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR blaster that lets the phone act like a universal remote for thousands of appliances.

In addition to providing an incredible high-resolution screen, POCO M3 also brings in stereo sound that’s normally seen in higher segments. The stereo speakers provide a holistic and immersive sound, completing the multimedia experience.

POCO M3 comes with a 6000mAh weekend-long battery along with an 18W fast charger in the box that lets users go for days without having to worry about frequent charging. What’s more, despite the added battery capacity, POCO M3 still weighs in at an impressive 197g.

Elevating the standards in the segment and strengthening POCO’s quality leadership, POCO M3 features a specially-designed battery (with Better Battery 2.0) that can withstand 2.5 years of usage and high temperatures.

Merging power and style, POCO M3 features a powerful trinity — that of RAM, high-speed storage and processing. With 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM, M3 excels at multitasking, and enhances the overall smoothness of the UI. To add to the power, POCO M3 introduces UFS 2.2 high-speed storage along with Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 11nm processor, thereby delivering a brilliant user experience. To enable smooth gaming and video experience through vivid graphics, POCO M3 sports the Adreno 610 GPU.

POCO M3 is equipped with 48MP triple camera setup, supported by a 2MP macro camera and a depth sensor. It comes with multiple creative modes such as movie frame, time-lapse, night mode, among other features. On the front, POCO M3 has a 8MP selfie camera embedded with AI face unlock and AI beauty mode.

POCO M3 will be available in three colours: Power Black, Cool Blue and POCO Yellow. It will be available on Flipkart starting 9th February 2021, at 12 noon.

Buyers will be able to pick between a 6GB + 64GB and a 6GB + 128GB variant, priced at Rs 10,999 and Rs 11,999 respectively.

MediaTek unveils new M80 5G Modem with Support for Sub-6 GHz 5G Networks

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MediaTek today announced its new M80 5G modem which combines mmWave and sub-6 GHz 5G technologies onto a single chip. The M80 supports ultra-fast speeds on both non-standalone (NSA) and standalone (SA) architectures, with a peak rate of 7.67 Gbps in the downlink and 3.76 Gbps in the uplink.

The M80 also supports dual 5G SIM, dual 5G NSA and SA networks, and dual Voice over New Radio (VoNR) for more reliable connectivity.

JC Hsu, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communications Business Unit said, “As 5G rollouts accelerate, mmWave is becoming increasingly important, especially in the U.S. MediaTek’s new 5G modem integrates support for both sub-6 GHz and mmWave networks to address this opportunity and give device makers more flexibility. To advance users’ 5G experiences, the new modem supports the latest global cellular standards and specifications and it packs MediaTek’s signature power savings technologies along with ultra-fast speeds.” 

MediaTek’s 5G modems are ideal for a range of devices, including smartphones, PCs, Mi-Fi hotspots, broadband customer premise equipment (CPE), industrial IoT applications and more. MediaTek’s first generation 5G modem, the M70, is built into MediaTek’s Dimensity series of powerful and power-efficient chipsets for 5G smartphones. The company’s 5G portfolio also includes the MediaTek T700, which will power 5G PCs set to hit the market in 2021, along with MediaTek’s T750 chipset for 5G fixed wireless access routers (FWA) and mobile hotspot devices.

The M80 has been tested against industry standards and is expected to sample with customers later in 2021. It offers operators around the world support for a full range of radio access technologies:

3GPP Release 16 standard

Sub-6 GHz and mmWave dual connectivity and carrier aggregation

5G NR (FR1) with more than two carrier aggregation

5G mmWave (FR2) up to 8CC

5G carrier aggregation with Mixed Duplex (TDD + FDD)

Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) ready

The M80 integrates MediaTek’s 5G UltraSave technologies which improve on the single-chip design to provide another layer of extensive power-saving enhancements. MediaTek’s UltraSave Network Environment Detection and UltraSave OTA Content Awareness technologies dynamically adjust power configuration and operating frequency based on the network environment. The M80 also integrates MediaTek’s Dynamic Bandwidth Part (BWP) technology which is designed to optimize bandwidth use to accommodate light or heavy data throughput requests. Additionally, with the M80’s Connected Mode DRX (C-DRX) technology the modem will regularly remain powered in connected standby even when there is no data activity.

MediaTek works closely with operators and partners around the world to bring consumers faster and more reliable 5G experiences. As a result, company’s 5G technology has been validated by operators in more than 100 markets. MediaTek is also a founding member of the OpenRF Association, which was founded to help to speed up time-to-market for 5G device manufacturers with interoperable 5G RF Front-End (RFFE) solutions.